By MUGUMO MUNENE
_________
If you had told Mr Aden Duale in 2005 that he would one day hold one of the most powerful political offices in the country, the businessman would most probably have dismissed you as a lunatic.
The possibility had not entered his mind when he switched from business to politics that year and plunged into the campaign against the infamous Wako draft constitution that was presented to voters in a referendum.
It was during the “No” campaign that he first encountered Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto in the game of bare-knuckle politics. Little did he know that he would work closely with the President and Deputy President some eight years down the line.
When the Orange campaign against the draft constitution turned into a political party, Mr Duale joined the team led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. He ran successfully for Parliament in 2007 and was named Livestock assistant minister in the Grand Coalition government that was formed to settle the 2008 post-election violence and build reconciliation.
No democracy
But he was unaware of the fortunes and huge leadership responsibility that lay ahead.“In 2009, Hon Ruto and I fell out with the party leadership because there was no democracy. I was part of the breakaway.
We were sacked in 2010, but that did not deter us. Until January this year, I had five court cases brought against me by ODM because of what they called indiscipline. We felt rejected and humiliated, but we soldiered on,” Mr Daule told the Sunday Nation.
Source: Daily Nation
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